Day 72 - Lady Jane in "A Penchant for Pensioners"

Another work day, but Lady Jane Tanqueray arrives tomorrow for a visit, so what better way to prepare you than with a look into the life of the upper crust from the Lady herself:

Source: www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk

Thursday saw Lady Jane, drink in hand, paying a visit to the home of the iconic Chelsea Pensioners, the Royal Hospital at Chelsea. It wasn’t, as her colleague so pithily put it, an exercise in finding a new husband, but rather a fact-finding mission as part of Lady J’s real job. Yes, Lady J, for reasons that she still does not quite understand, has to work for a living.

No matter. A delightful young lady who once worked for the Royal Household – for the benefit of our dear readers in the Colonies, that’s the Queen and her family – was on hand to show Lady J around.

The Hospital sits on the northern banks of the Thames opposite Battersea Park. Many dear readers may also know it as the home of the world famous annual RHS Chelsea Flower Show – a key date in Lady J’s social calendar. [Editor's note: While this writer has attended the Chelsea Flower Show sans Lady J, we have attended the Hampton Court Palace show together where we undertook to provide our own Latin names to otherwise poorly named flora.]

Source: www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk

Nell Gwyn. A striking resemblance
to Lady Jane of Tanqueray? 

The Hospital was established in 1692 by King Charles II and designed by Sir Christopher Wren, although legend has it that Nell Gwyn, the King’s favourite mistress was instrumental in persuading him that a home should be built for ex-soldiers. Using her legendary feminine wiles, she asked the King for a piece of land the size of a handkerchief. Amused, he agreed and Nell proceeded to place her handkerchief on a map of London over the site in Chelsea.

The Hospital is home to around 300 pensioners who have all served in the Army. They range in age from 65 to over 100, and whilst many make use of the considerable number of mobility scooters parked all over the Hospital, many others are still fit and able and make good use of the on-site gym and pool.  Others make good use of the on-site pub, as Lady J can attest to.

Pensioners are free to come and go as they please and Lady J heard the story of one pensioner who decided to take his scooter out for a ‘little spin’ and got as far as Richmond, nearly 8 miles away, before his battery went flat. Another decided to ‘pop out’ in hers returning not long after with McDonald’s for some of her favourite staff.

Life as a Chelsea Pensioner is undoubtedly one best described by the word ‘cherished’. The Hospital has often been described as the ‘best retirement home in the world’ and it is easy to see why. Pensioners give up their army pension on admittance and in return are looked after by a highly professional team dedicated to their care and well-being. To live here is truly a blessing and the Pensioners in return are clearly proud to call the Royal Hospital their home. The camaraderie between them was wonderful to witness and to have the honour of accessing much of what generally remains behind closed doors was a humbling experience.

Lady J had luncheon in the Great Hall surround by Pensioners. They wear a smart uniform during the day with the iconic Scarlet coat being saved for ceremonial purposes. The Hall features wooden panels that detail every battle fought by the British Army and Lady J was moved to find those that detailed the WW2 battles fought in by her father.

Source: www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk

Sadly, however, Lady J’s efforts to find a new husband were in vain.  A pre-requisite of admittance is that Pensioners are ‘unencumbered by spouse’.

Dessert of the day: Manchester Tart [Editor's note: Lady J may be confusing the name of the dessert with what was reputedly yelled at her as she left the Great Hall. However, Lady J is adamant she has never been to Manchester.]